DISCOVER HERMANUS

Welcome to Hermanus

Hermanus is a seaside town southeast of Cape Town, in South Africa. It’s known as a whale watching destination, with whale watching being it most popular activity.

Hermanus, however, is much more than just whales… Hermanus which was originally a fishing village now boasts soem of the best vineyards, beaches, nature reserves, hiking, angling, surfing, kite surfing, nightlife, penguins, shark cage diving, cycling, diving, quad bikes, birding, 4×4 routes, kayaking, golf, and paragliding.

The annual Hermanus Whale Festival is a celebration to the return of the southern right whales to the coastal waters of Southern Africa. It is a tribute to the legacy left to the town by Wendy the Whale whose story is about man’s ability to live in harmony with nature as well as people’s ability to come together as communities valuing the environment. All events and activities during the whale festival are focused to create awareness on how to protect the whales and all our marine wildlife who share our coastal waters. The festival takes place in September which is the peak of whale activity in the region.

THE MOST POPULAR ATTRACTIONS IN HERMANUS

Hermanus is well known for its number of top-class restaurants, coffee shops, steak houses, fast food and pizzarias. There is nothing better than being able to enjoy an amzing meal while watching the Southern Right Whales frolicking in the bay or sipping wine while looking over the Vineyards up in the Heme-en-Aarde Valley.

Tucked into the fold of the Glen Vauloch Mountains on the outskirts of Hermanus, lies the picuresque Hemel en Aarde Valley. It is where wine lovers can treat themselves to a unique wine tour among some of the southernmost vineyards in Africa, with only Cape Augulas has vineyards being further south. The first winery is Hermanuspietersfontein. Whalehaven is situated only 150 meters from the intersectionof the R43 and the R320 on the Caledon road. They are open to cellar tours. Bouchard Finlayson Estate is situated in the Hemel en Aarde Valley 6KM away from the Sandbaai intersection of teh R43 and the R320 roads. Other wine farms in the Hemel en Aarde Valley: Hamilton Russel La Vierge Newton Johnson Sumaridge Babylon Wines Spookfonten Creation Wines Hemelzicht Beaumont Wines – Botriver Wildekrans – Botriver Raka – Just past Stanford The Wine Village in hemel en aarde has teh most comprehensive collection […]

Hermanus is one of the twelve best whale viewing sites in the wold and the best land based whale watching in the world. Book a Whale Watching Trip From June to the end of November there are Southern Right whales in the bay and a walk along the cliff path will be all you need to understand why we have registered that claim. The best time to view whales and when you are almost guaranteed spectacular displays is from August to end October. The whales calve in August and September and the population peaks in October. Why the Southern Right? These whales are known by this name because once killed they float and are rich in oil and baleen (the food filter plates that hang from the roof of their mouths) So the Southern Right became the right whale to hunt and kill. In 1935 they became protected and […]

Gansbaai is a short trip away from Hermanus and offers a combination of goosebump thrills, education, and relaxation on a luxury boat in the company of experienced experts and researchers! They will show you how to distinguish between a male and female shark and how to identify a specific shark by its unique dorsal fin and scars. The 20 – 25-minute boat trip to where the activity is to take place, is by itself an exhilarating adventure. Click to Book a Shark Cage Diving Trip Here is a brief breakdown of what to expect: Before the trip guests meet at the Great White House in Kleinbaai You will receive breakfast or lunch and register your wetsuit size Guests receive a pre-trip safety briefing about what to expect during the trip and a biological background on great white sharks The guides then take you on a 200m stroll down to the […]

Fernkloof Nature Reserve : Fernkloof Nature reserve was established in 1957 and forms the splendid mountain backdrop to Hermanus. Over 1100 different plant species have been collected and identified within the reserve which is only 15 square kilometre. This compares well with the UK’s 1500 species. Hiking We have 15 kms of spectacular cliff paths with wonderful viewing benches for the not-so energetic and over 50 kms of mountain trails for the more energetic amongst you. The cliff path begins just above the Grotto Beach parking area and goes all the way to the New Harbour with a small break between Mollergren Park and Protea road, where you will have to walk along the road for about 800 metres. The paths are all well paved and maintain and parts of the paths are wheelchair and pram friendly. No cycling allowed on the paths.

The Craft Market offers more curio type shopping but does have local artists and other interesting stores trading over the weekend. Main road has various clothing and shoe shops. In Harbour road you will find Jewellery Shops and The Factory Shop. Take a walk through Warington Arcade. Wander through the Courtyard which host many speciality shops: beautiful ladies body wear, ladies clothing, shells, sport clothing and jewellery. The best way to shop in Hermanus is to park your car, put your walking shoes on and explore. There is an abundance of alleyways and little shops tucked away in the streets in and around the centre of town.